Although the impact of having two women at the head of the world’s largest sports organisations has yet to become fully visible, the election of Kirsty Coventry as the first woman President of the International Olympic Committee and Anna Arzhanova as the first woman President of The World Games carries a clear shared message.
For the first time in history, women are at the highest levels of leadership in two of the world’s major sports organisations.
For those who know The World Games and follow its competitions, speaking with Arzhanova, who was elected President in April this year, provides an opportunity to understand her views on the organisation, its place in the sports movement and the future of its athletes and disciplines.
The World Games is made up of 40 member federations. Some of these federations are part of the Olympic movement, while others represent sports that are not part of the Olympic programme.
Every four years, The World Games brings together elite athletes from international sports federations across five continents, giving them the opportunity to compete on the same stage.
The close cooperation between The World Games, ARISF and AIMS, together with its alignment with the philosophy and principles of the Olympic Games, presents an organisation that does not see itself as separate from the Olympic movement. Instead, it seeks to define The World Games in line with the broader principles of that movement.
The Mediterranean Games in Taranto provided an opportunity for sports leaders from different organisations to meet, exchange views and learn more about one another. The Games brought together athletes from 26 Mediterranean countries across three continents, while also creating opportunities for leaders of international sports organisations to meet.
Arzhanova’s presence in Taranto gave me the opportunity to meet her, understand her views on sport and athletes, and publish her thoughts in this exclusive interview.
She comes across as a realistic and responsive leader, with a particular interest in the environment and the future of the planet.
The World Games – 2025
“We believe The World Games is an organisation that is part of the Olympic movement, and we intend to present The World Games as an integral part of the Olympic movement.”
Arzhanova wants The World Games to be organised and developed in line with the Olympic movement.
She points out that both Olympic and non-Olympic sports are represented within The World Games. Some sports that are members of The World Games have already experienced participation in the Olympic Games, while others are not Olympic sports.
For Arzhanova, this gives all member sports an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities and their appeal at The World Games.
At the same time, she believes The World Games gives Olympic organisers an opportunity to observe sports and federations, assess their capabilities and see how they could potentially contribute to the Olympic Games.
Arzhanova views the recent changes to the Olympic Charter positively. She believes disciplines should also be updated in response to the interests of younger generations, something she says can encourage creativity and innovation.
Para sport is another area where she wants to see change.
The World Games President does not believe para sport should necessarily be presented separately within the main programme. Instead, para categories can be included within the relevant disciplines and held alongside other competitions.
This would give para athletes an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and, in Arzhanova’s view, could itself be inspirational.
At Karlsruhe, The World Games plans to increase the number of para categories from two to five across different disciplines.
“Ultimately, what matters is a person’s ability, not their gender, nationality, skin colour or anything of that kind.”
When asked about gender equality, Arzhanova’s answer reflected her pragmatic approach.
She believes that the ability to perform certain tasks can sometimes be related to different capabilities associated with women and men. She sees sport in a similar way, with competitions structured around different physical and sporting abilities.
IWGA President, Anna Arzhanova
She points to women’s football as an example. There was a time when the idea of women playing football was difficult to imagine. Today, women have their own football leagues and a Women’s World Cup is established as a major international competition.
“But there is still a perception in some people’s minds that sport is a men’s club. I do not agree with that view. At the same time, achieving exactly equal numbers of male and female leaders can be challenging for objective reasons, including different career paths like periods when women may step away from their professional careers to have and raise children.”
Arzhanova also spoke about her own election as President of The World Games.
“For me, electing a woman for a leadership position simply because she is a woman is not equality. It can even be insulting to women. I strongly support equal opportunities for women, but I believe leadership positions should be based on merit, experience, and professional achievements. Gender should not be the deciding factor.”
For Arzhanova, increasing women’s participation requires both encouragement and the removal of the barriers that prevent women from taking part.
She referred to Constance Terrier, who recently began working as CEO of The World Games, as an example of a woman appointed on the basis of her abilities.
Education, particularly where it is connected with the future of children and young people, is also important to Arzhanova.
Her ambition extends to promoting sport as part of everyday life, education and integration.
“Our bigger goal is to promote sport as part of a healthy life around the world. We all know the problems facing today’s young generation. In many cases, they are not physically active enough. They do not even have enough real social interaction. More and more, communication is taking place through smartphones and other digital devices rather than in person.”
“Sport has a very important role to play here. It not only keeps people physically active, but also brings people together, teaches teamwork and communication, builds friendships, and plays a vital role in socialisation.”
There are three years to go before The World Games 2029 in Karlsruhe, Germany.
The event will be the first major opportunity for Arzhanova to put her vision into practice. With a number of sports having been removed from the Olympic programme, she will also seek ways to accommodate more disciplines and sports at The World Games in 2033
Arzhanova said that at least 35 sports will compete at Karlsruhe 2029.
Photos: IWGA
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